Spoilers Ahead
Heroism's highest price gets paid in gut-wrenching final battles. The comic book industry built its most memorable moments around the fall of beloved characters. These legendary exits startled fans, sold millions of issues, and changed everything. Some of these heroes returned eventually; others never came back the same.
I Am Iron Man Snap Scene - AVENGERS 4: ENDGAME (2019) Movie Clip by Entertainment Access
1. Superman
The Man of Steel's demise stunned readers worldwide in 1992. Doomsday, a Kryptonian killing machine, pummeled Superman through Metropolis before both combatants delivered fatal blows to each other. DC's sales skyrocketed as mainstream media covered this unprecedented event, though Clark Kent would eventually return.
The Death of Superman - Official Trailer - Warner Bros. UK by Warner Bros. UK & Ireland
2. Iron Man
"I am Iron Man." Those final words cemented Tony Stark's sacrifice as he wielded the Infinity Stones to defeat Thanos in Endgame. Robert Downey Jr.'s performance made theaters weep globally. What began as a weapons manufacturer's redemption arc culminated in the ultimate sacrifice.
3. Nova (Richard Rider)
Trapped in the collapsing Cancerverse, Richard Rider made the call no one else could. Marvel's cosmic champion stayed behind to contain Thanos while allowing Star-Lord to escape. The Nova Corps' last Prime sacrificed himself in Thanos Imperative. Fans still debate the circumstances of his resurrection.
Richard Rider As Nova - The Superhero From Long Island by UltimateChance
4. Jean Grey/Phoenix
How many times can one phoenix fall? The original death aboard a space shuttle started everything. Dark Phoenix's transformation and destruction of an inhabited star system led to the X-Men's most devastating moment on the moon. Jean's sacrificial choice in Grant Morrison's run shocked again.
5. Martian Manhunter
A founding Justice League member deserved better than a spear through the chest. Libra's brutal execution of J'onn J'onzz during Final Crisis left heroes devastated. DC immortalized the moment with Superman cradling his fallen friend while delivering an emotional Martian eulogy.
Half the Justice League vs Doomsday [Part 2] | The Death of Superman by Flashback FM
6. Spider-Man
Ultimate Peter Parker's end destroyed the myth of teenage invulnerability. The sixteen-year-old hero took a bullet meant for Captain America before battling his rogues gallery one final time. His last words to Aunt May—"I couldn't save Uncle Ben, but I saved you"—brilliantly captured Spider-Man's essence.
Spider-Man Death Scene (Peter Parker Dies) - Spider-Man Edge Of Time by MKIceAndFire
7. Wolverine
Looks like no healing factor could save Logan from being encased in adamantium. Marvel stripped away the indestructible mutant's powers before his 2014 demise. “Death of Wolverine” ended with the character becoming a statue of the very metal that had defined him.
LOGAN Clip - "Death" (2017) Sci-Fi by JoBlo Movie Clips
8. Gwen Stacy
Spider-Man's most consequential failure occurred atop the George Washington Bridge. The Green Goblin's cruelty forced Peter Parker to catch his girlfriend with webbing, but the sudden stop snapped her neck. Comic experts pinpoint this 1973 tragedy as the end of the Silver Age's innocence.
Gwen Stacy's Death Scene - The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) Movie Clip HD by ShortClips
9. Flash (Barry Allen)
The Crisis on Infinite Earths required the ultimate speedster sacrifice. So, Barry Allen ran himself into oblivion, becoming one with the Speed Force to save the multiverse in 1985. His absence lasted 23 years, which is one of comics' longest-standing demises.
How The Flash should've died during Crisis on Infinite Earths (Concept) by UltraEdits
10. Robin (Jason Todd)
Well, Batman couldn't save his second Robin from the Joker's crowbar. DC's unprecedented phone-in poll allowed readers to determine Jason Todd's fate, with a narrow majority voting for death. Undoubtedly, the 1988 brutality established the Joker's most personal victory over Batman.
Robin's death from "Batman: Under the Red Hood" by Cojo's Place
11. Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell)
In Marvel's first graphic novel, cancer accomplished what supervillains couldn't. The cosmic warrior Mar-Vell faced his mortality not in battle, but in a hospital bed surrounded by heroes. “The Death of Captain Marvel” broke new ground in 1982 as Jim Starlin crafted a meditation on mortality.
Captain Marvel is Dead (Marvel Theory) BY CBR
12. Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
From the greatest Green Lantern to the universe's greatest threat, Hal Jordan's path to redemption came through sacrifice. After becoming the villain Parallax and destroying the Corps, Jordan reignited the sun during The Final Night. His heroic demise temporarily redeemed the character after his controversial fall.
Becoming a Green Lantern | Green Lantern Extended cut by Flashback FM
13. Vision
Thanos' ruthless pursuit of the Mind Stone led directly through Vision's forehead. The synthezoid's passing away appeared twice in Infinity War—first at Wanda's reluctant hands, then repeated by Thanos reversing time. Though artificially created, Vision's philosophical musings on humanity made his destruction profoundly affecting.
14. Supergirl
Sacrifice runs in the Super-family. During Crisis on Infinite Earths, Kara Zor-El battled the Anti-Monitor, allowing her more famous cousin time to recover. Superman carried her body on the iconic Crisis cover, which shocked readers. Her passing reinforced that even the mightiest heroes weren't safe.
The Flash (2023) - Batman & Supergirl Die Scene | Movieclips by Movieclips
15. Black Widow
Romanoff's ledger was finally cleared on Vormir. The soul stone demanded a sacrifice, and the former assassin outmaneuvered Hawkeye for the honor. After years of seeking atonement for her violent past, Black Widow's final mission became saving not just the universe, but her chosen family.
16. Nightcrawler
With his final teleport, Kurt Wagner saved Hope Summers and the future of mutantkind. The devout X-Man suffered a fatal impalement from Bastion in the 2010s "Second Coming" crossover. What made his expiration powerful was Nightcrawler's lifelong faith finally rewarded with a glimpse of paradise.
Nightcrawler Riz Ahmed death scene HD by MY Video
17. Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)
The bullet that killed Ted Kord changed DC's scenario forever. Refusing to join Maxwell Lord's conspiracy, the gadgeteer hero without powers faced certain death with defiance in Countdown to Infinite Crisis. Finding Lord's plans moments before his execution, Kord died a detective rather than a warrior.
18. Elongated Man
Identity Crisis began with Sue Dibny's murder, but ended with her husband, Ralph, joining her. The stretchy sleuth tracked his wife's killer before Doctor Light and Shadow Thief ended his investigation permanently. DC united the detective duo in death as ghostly investigators.
Ralph Dibney Vs Clifford DeVoe aka Thinker | Death of Ralph | Flash S04E18 FLASH 04X18 by intr0v@rt
19. Professor X
Charles Xavier's dream has died alongside him multiple times. His most intriguing demise came at the hands of his first student, Phoenix-possessed Cyclops, in Avengers vs. X-Men. The bald telepath's brain has been stabbed, possessed, and crushed repeatedly across different timelines.
20. Green Arrow
The emerald archer's son, Connor Hawke, assumed the mantle after his father's 1995 demise. His death lasted until Kevin Smith's Quiver storyline revealed that Hal Jordan had preserved Oliver's soul. However, the loudmouthed liberal crusader returned to heroism and political activism after his afterlife experience.
